Customer Rating: 
Summary: Very good quality headphones
Comment: I was initially very impressed with the quality of these headphones when I recieved them. They seem very well built. I looked at some Sony's that were flimsy in comparison. After using them for a while I continue to be very happy with them. Sound quality is good and they are very comfortable. I initially wanted an around-the-ear headphone but decided on these (over-the-ear), I'm glad I did. They are very comfortable. My previous Sony around-the-ear headphones would hurt my ears after using them for a couple hours, these don't. I tried on some Bose around-the- ears also, and they were so firm it felt like my head was in a clamp (good sound quality but expensive).
Another thing I like is the carrying case and the fold flat design. The carrying case fits nicely into my computer bag and there is enough room in it for my 8GB Zune and cables.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Value for price but sometimes headphones go out of phase and causes loud bursts of noise.
Comment: I mainly bought thes phones so that my daily morning commutes on the train would be a little quieter. I definitely notice the difference once I turn on noise cancelling while I'm at the station but the the trains are so loud and the frequencies are high enough that I can still hear about 75% of what's going on around me. Also, in certain points of the tunnel, as the train is making a wailing sound, the noise cancellation goes out of whack and causes some sharp feedback at which point I have to pop off the headphones (or turn off the noise cancelling). My belief is that the noise cancellation goes out of phase somehow and is doubling the amplitude of the incoming noise. They aren't as comfortable to wear as the Bose headphones but they aern't bad. Still even with all that, I'm pretty happy with the purchase and I use it just about everyday and perform great compared to other NC headphones in the same price range.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Decent headphones overall
Comment: I bought these headphones for when I travel on airplanes. Sound reproduction seemed good. Sound cancelling switch doesn't need to be on to hear music, but it does make it sound better. Was rather disappointed in the noise cancelling feature. I expected it to reduce airplane noise much better than it actually did, but at least there was a noticealbe difference. Maybe next time, I'll save up and splurge for the Bose headsets. Overall, a decent headphone for the money, but would have prefered more noise reduction from it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: JVC headphones
Comment: Wortk well, comfortable and come with a protective case. They are a fraction of the cost of some others I have tried. I have been very pleased with them.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing noise blocking, but lots of small problems
Comment: I work in a noisy lab, so I wanted noise canceling headphones that could reduce the distraction of nearby chatter as well as the usual airplane engine sounds. After a bit of searching, it seemed like these JVCs and the Panasonic RP-HC500 were the best all around choices. So I bought both pairs and borrowed a friend's Bose QC2's to do a comparison.
*Noise Cancelling:
Although I did not have as much time with the Bose, I was able to use all three pairs to listen to city street noise outside my building as well as co-worker chatter in my office.
Although all three pairs did a fantastic job of removing the low frequencies (the ventilation system hum, etc.), the Bose really excelled here. It's really true that speaking while wearing them let's you hear your voice absent its lowest octave! The JVC and Panasonic pairs could not quite compete in that sense.
But for blocking higher frequency sounds, the JVCs were the winners. With the noise cancellation turned on, but without any sound playing, the voices of my office mates were muffled to the point where I could hear that they were speaking, but often could not make out what they were saying. The others muffle the chatter as well, but to a lesser extent.
Interestingly, it was sometimes hard to compare the Panasonics, as they produced audible hiss when the noise cancelling was turned on. The hiss was low, and wasn't distracting with even soft music, but the JVC's near-complete lack of hiss sometimes made me question whether the Panasonics were blocking as much sound as I thought, or just masking it.
But overall, the Panasonics and the JVCs were very comparable. There was a noticeable difference for office chatter, running a dishwasher, and air blowing, but the difference was always subtle--even factoring in the hiss issue. I was only able to try the QC2's in a couple of situations, but on the whole, they were not sufficiently better than even the Panasonics to justify their price tag.
-The Winner for Noise Canceling: JVC.
*Comfort:
Since I only had 20 or 30 minutes with the Bose, I can't say too much about them, except that they seemed typical for circumaural headphones. But I was able to try out the Panasonic and JVC pairs for several hours each.
The JVCs are incredibly comfortable at first; they're small, light, and even look decent. But I wear glasses, and after a while the pressure they were applying to my ears against my glasses' frame started to hurt.
The Panasonics, by contrast, apply far too much pressure to my head at first, and seem big and heavy. But after gently stretching them apart, they actually feel alright. They won't win any awards, but I could wear them--with my glasses--for probably at least an hour without them hurting. Although I may still need to stretch them out again, every so often.
In terms of strange sucking feelings that some people describe with noise cancellers, I did not experience anything like that with any of these headphones. But of the three people who also tried them out, one said that the Panasonic pair made an unpleasant sensation in her ear and she did not even want to try them out again. The others did not seem to notice any problems, though.
It's also worth noting that the Panasonics and Bose are circumaural (they go around the ear, and rest against the head directly), and the JVC's are supraaural (they rest right on the ear). So after a lot of use, I imagine the JVC's would be least likely to make your ear feel hot or sweaty, since they cover the least amount of your head. But also, if you have large ears, the fairly small space that the Panasonics expect your ears to fit into may be too small and therefore uncomfortable as well.
-The Winner for Comfort: a tie between JVC and Panasonic, but it depends on your ear size and whether you wear glasses.
*Sound:
I didn't really listen to music with the Bose, so I'll keep this section only to the Panasonics and JVC's.
I listened to a handful of styles on both pairs of headphones; mostly rock, folk, and even some an capella solo. Consistently, the Panasonics sounded better. As one friend described it, the JVC's didn't have tight bass. I would add the highs weren't that great either. They're fine for occasional use on a plane, but were surprisingly poor compared to the Panasonics.
The Panasonics aren't a panacea either for sound quality. No one will confuse them with high end headphones (say, Sennheiser HD-590's); particularly, they have a fairly narrow sound stage.
-The Winner for Sound Quality: Panasonic
*Other Issues:
In spite of the poorer sound quality, I was still going to keep the JVCs, until I discovered that I could not use them with my laptop! For some reason, as soon as I plug the JVC's into my laptop (with the noise canceling on), they make a strange hiss, and I also hear a 60 Hz hum from the electrical outlet. I have a Dell Latitude D820 (not exactly known for its sound card), so I figured it was the computer. But I experienced the same problem with other people's laptops as well. And none of my other headphones (even with comparable or lower impedance) make any audible hiss or buzz at all. I exchanged the JVC's, but the replacement was the same. For what it's worth, there was no hiss or hum with my friend's mac, or with any of my portable music players.
Some reviewers also mentioned the poorly designed battery replacement scheme on the JVC's. I agree that it's an odd design, but I personally didn't find it a problem at all. But speaking of batteries...
The battery life on the JVCs was significantly worse than Panasonic. I don't recall just how long it went, but it was probably about 15 hours or less. The Panasonics, by contrast, were used many hours more, and still haven't used up a battery. Both headphones use a single AAA.
-The Winner for Other Issues: Panasonic
*Conclusion:
The JVC HANC-250 headphones are very, very nice and have really remarkable noise reduction. If the Panasonics weren't available, I'd have gladly kept the JVCs. But not being able to use them with my laptop, a well as the mediocre sound quality, pushed me to Panasonic instead.
Summary: Very good quality headphones
Comment: I was initially very impressed with the quality of these headphones when I recieved them. They seem very well built. I looked at some Sony's that were flimsy in comparison. After using them for a while I continue to be very happy with them. Sound quality is good and they are very comfortable. I initially wanted an around-the-ear headphone but decided on these (over-the-ear), I'm glad I did. They are very comfortable. My previous Sony around-the-ear headphones would hurt my ears after using them for a couple hours, these don't. I tried on some Bose around-the- ears also, and they were so firm it felt like my head was in a clamp (good sound quality but expensive).
Another thing I like is the carrying case and the fold flat design. The carrying case fits nicely into my computer bag and there is enough room in it for my 8GB Zune and cables.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Value for price but sometimes headphones go out of phase and causes loud bursts of noise.
Comment: I mainly bought thes phones so that my daily morning commutes on the train would be a little quieter. I definitely notice the difference once I turn on noise cancelling while I'm at the station but the the trains are so loud and the frequencies are high enough that I can still hear about 75% of what's going on around me. Also, in certain points of the tunnel, as the train is making a wailing sound, the noise cancellation goes out of whack and causes some sharp feedback at which point I have to pop off the headphones (or turn off the noise cancelling). My belief is that the noise cancellation goes out of phase somehow and is doubling the amplitude of the incoming noise. They aren't as comfortable to wear as the Bose headphones but they aern't bad. Still even with all that, I'm pretty happy with the purchase and I use it just about everyday and perform great compared to other NC headphones in the same price range.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Decent headphones overall
Comment: I bought these headphones for when I travel on airplanes. Sound reproduction seemed good. Sound cancelling switch doesn't need to be on to hear music, but it does make it sound better. Was rather disappointed in the noise cancelling feature. I expected it to reduce airplane noise much better than it actually did, but at least there was a noticealbe difference. Maybe next time, I'll save up and splurge for the Bose headsets. Overall, a decent headphone for the money, but would have prefered more noise reduction from it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: JVC headphones
Comment: Wortk well, comfortable and come with a protective case. They are a fraction of the cost of some others I have tried. I have been very pleased with them.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Amazing noise blocking, but lots of small problems
Comment: I work in a noisy lab, so I wanted noise canceling headphones that could reduce the distraction of nearby chatter as well as the usual airplane engine sounds. After a bit of searching, it seemed like these JVCs and the Panasonic RP-HC500 were the best all around choices. So I bought both pairs and borrowed a friend's Bose QC2's to do a comparison.
*Noise Cancelling:
Although I did not have as much time with the Bose, I was able to use all three pairs to listen to city street noise outside my building as well as co-worker chatter in my office.
Although all three pairs did a fantastic job of removing the low frequencies (the ventilation system hum, etc.), the Bose really excelled here. It's really true that speaking while wearing them let's you hear your voice absent its lowest octave! The JVC and Panasonic pairs could not quite compete in that sense.
But for blocking higher frequency sounds, the JVCs were the winners. With the noise cancellation turned on, but without any sound playing, the voices of my office mates were muffled to the point where I could hear that they were speaking, but often could not make out what they were saying. The others muffle the chatter as well, but to a lesser extent.
Interestingly, it was sometimes hard to compare the Panasonics, as they produced audible hiss when the noise cancelling was turned on. The hiss was low, and wasn't distracting with even soft music, but the JVC's near-complete lack of hiss sometimes made me question whether the Panasonics were blocking as much sound as I thought, or just masking it.
But overall, the Panasonics and the JVCs were very comparable. There was a noticeable difference for office chatter, running a dishwasher, and air blowing, but the difference was always subtle--even factoring in the hiss issue. I was only able to try the QC2's in a couple of situations, but on the whole, they were not sufficiently better than even the Panasonics to justify their price tag.
-The Winner for Noise Canceling: JVC.
*Comfort:
Since I only had 20 or 30 minutes with the Bose, I can't say too much about them, except that they seemed typical for circumaural headphones. But I was able to try out the Panasonic and JVC pairs for several hours each.
The JVCs are incredibly comfortable at first; they're small, light, and even look decent. But I wear glasses, and after a while the pressure they were applying to my ears against my glasses' frame started to hurt.
The Panasonics, by contrast, apply far too much pressure to my head at first, and seem big and heavy. But after gently stretching them apart, they actually feel alright. They won't win any awards, but I could wear them--with my glasses--for probably at least an hour without them hurting. Although I may still need to stretch them out again, every so often.
In terms of strange sucking feelings that some people describe with noise cancellers, I did not experience anything like that with any of these headphones. But of the three people who also tried them out, one said that the Panasonic pair made an unpleasant sensation in her ear and she did not even want to try them out again. The others did not seem to notice any problems, though.
It's also worth noting that the Panasonics and Bose are circumaural (they go around the ear, and rest against the head directly), and the JVC's are supraaural (they rest right on the ear). So after a lot of use, I imagine the JVC's would be least likely to make your ear feel hot or sweaty, since they cover the least amount of your head. But also, if you have large ears, the fairly small space that the Panasonics expect your ears to fit into may be too small and therefore uncomfortable as well.
-The Winner for Comfort: a tie between JVC and Panasonic, but it depends on your ear size and whether you wear glasses.
*Sound:
I didn't really listen to music with the Bose, so I'll keep this section only to the Panasonics and JVC's.
I listened to a handful of styles on both pairs of headphones; mostly rock, folk, and even some an capella solo. Consistently, the Panasonics sounded better. As one friend described it, the JVC's didn't have tight bass. I would add the highs weren't that great either. They're fine for occasional use on a plane, but were surprisingly poor compared to the Panasonics.
The Panasonics aren't a panacea either for sound quality. No one will confuse them with high end headphones (say, Sennheiser HD-590's); particularly, they have a fairly narrow sound stage.
-The Winner for Sound Quality: Panasonic
*Other Issues:
In spite of the poorer sound quality, I was still going to keep the JVCs, until I discovered that I could not use them with my laptop! For some reason, as soon as I plug the JVC's into my laptop (with the noise canceling on), they make a strange hiss, and I also hear a 60 Hz hum from the electrical outlet. I have a Dell Latitude D820 (not exactly known for its sound card), so I figured it was the computer. But I experienced the same problem with other people's laptops as well. And none of my other headphones (even with comparable or lower impedance) make any audible hiss or buzz at all. I exchanged the JVC's, but the replacement was the same. For what it's worth, there was no hiss or hum with my friend's mac, or with any of my portable music players.
Some reviewers also mentioned the poorly designed battery replacement scheme on the JVC's. I agree that it's an odd design, but I personally didn't find it a problem at all. But speaking of batteries...
The battery life on the JVCs was significantly worse than Panasonic. I don't recall just how long it went, but it was probably about 15 hours or less. The Panasonics, by contrast, were used many hours more, and still haven't used up a battery. Both headphones use a single AAA.
-The Winner for Other Issues: Panasonic
*Conclusion:
The JVC HANC-250 headphones are very, very nice and have really remarkable noise reduction. If the Panasonics weren't available, I'd have gladly kept the JVCs. But not being able to use them with my laptop, a well as the mediocre sound quality, pushed me to Panasonic instead.
JVC HANC250 High-Grade Noise Cancelling Headphones Reviews: Page 3 of 20
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